It’s no surprise that TV series make some changes between one season and the next, but CBS’ sci-fi drama Extant is headed in a completely different direction from Season 1. It’s also been established that there are a ton of casting switcheroos happening, and now we know who one of the new characters is going to be, and he’ll be played by the always badass Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Extant Season 1 spoilers below.

If you’re a fan of CBS’ summer sci-fi slate of Under the Dome and Extant, we’ve got some good news for you. Both shows have been renewed by CBS, and will be returning for a third and second season, respectively. The Under the Dome news merits only a disinterested yawn as far as we’re concerned, but it’s good to see the underwatched Extant getting the chance to keep finding its footing. It’s also rather surprising given the show’s ratings.

Under the Dome soon became one of the biggest disappointments we’ve seen when it premiered last year. Sure, Stephen King adaptations have a hugely uneven success rate, but comics legend Brian K. Vaughan was aboard as showrunner, and how could we not be excited by that? Sadly, the show we got was by turns frustrating and ridiculous, so I bailed on the show at the end of the first season. As for Extant, I quite liked the premiere, but I didn’t keep up with it after that. I keep meaning to sit down and marathon it off Amazon Prime, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Still, I’m glad to see it getting a second season, because more sci-fi on TV can only be a good thing.

While CBS’ Under the Dome is vaguely tethered to science fiction through its (abysmal) storyline, it’s a show much more interested in dealing with human drama rather than genre conventions. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum is teir new offering Extant, a show that follows in Dome‘s “summer event series” footsteps, but completely outshines it in every single way. Barely a second of the series premiere, “Re-Entry,” goes by without a solid reminder that you’re watching a sci-fi series. Words cannot quite express how impressed I was by this hour of television. But I’ll certainly use a bunch trying to do so. (And I’ll try to keep it spoiler-free for the most part, but beware the bottom half of this recap.)

As astronaut Molly Woods, Halle Berry is a woman who can’t seem to find her element. She’s spent the past year on a solo mission in space, and all she wants is go home and re-adjust to life with her husband John (Goran Visnjic) and son Ethan (Pierce Gagnon). However, she must concede to various physical and psychological tests first, which prove troublesome since she’s keeping secrets from everyone. But her physician/friend Sam Barton (Camryn Manheim) soon discovers the seemingly impossible.

WTF, CBS? Against my better wishes, I am anticipating the shit out of the network’s newest mystery drama, Extant. In my mind, it’s the perfect kind of show. A strong female lead in Halle Berry, a conspiracy-laden plot that is heavily invested in potentially supernaturalish space travel, and androids. It’s really a surprise that CBS teamed up with Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Television to produce this high-concept series; at least, until you watch the clip above, and it becomes frustratingly clear that the network is not going to be upping its game with this one.

Of all the new TV series coming our way this summer, CBS’ drama Extant is one of the most interesting. It’s also the only one with multiple Academy Award-winners among the creative team. We’re talking, of course, about producer Steven Spielberg and star Halle Berry. But that’s not all it has going for it, there’s also space, aliens, and robots in the mix, and that’s enough to get our attention. The fact that it’s spooky, atmospheric, and full of X-Files style mystery and conspiracy is just icing. Check out this short new teaser trailer to see what we mean.

Astronaut Molly Woods (Berry) has been out in space by herself for more than a year. After an excursion like that, you have to assume that there will be a significant period of adjustment, mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. But that’s not all, as you can see from this short video, there’s so, so much more going on, and the situation is way more complicated than they first appear.

Just the simple fact that CBS’ upcoming sci-fi drama Extant stars Academy-Award-Winning actress Halle Berry and is produced by Steven Spielberg is enough to pique the interest of many casual fans. The network could easily have sat back and rested on its laurels, relying on the name recognition alone to draw in an audience, but they’re taking a much more aggressive approach. They’ve already issued a number of teasers and a series of trailers where each one gets a little bit longer, adds a little bit more, and expands on what came earlier. This latest, longest look at the series follows this established pattern.

Like I said, this footage takes what we’ve already seen and broadens the scope. Astronaut Molly Watts returns from a yearlong solo mission in space. Spending so much time lone in such an isolated environment can play hell with your mind, so some adjustment upon arrival is to be expected. But this is no minor fine-tuning and just getting used to being in a place with gravity.